Engaged Spirituality PDX: food insecurity

When I walked into The Salvation Army food pantry, inquiring about a volunteer position, I was immediately led into the warm and whimsical office of the manager, Tina. It almost felt like a job interview, and I started to panic as a thought rang out in my head: “What if I’m not accepted for a position?”

Acceptance is one theme that I have focused on throughout this online senior capstone project, in the course titled Mobilizing Hope at Portland State University. This course asks students to reflect on personal faith traditions, beliefs, and wonderings, and to use these as a foundation for social justice activism. Without a solid faith tradition, I feared that I wouldn’t have enough of a foundation for the course requirement. As I have grown to find out, acceptance is quite a strong foundation to have. While “belief” and “acceptance” can be used interchangeably to define one another, there are cases where believing and accepting come to have different connotations.
Humans face possibilities of acceptance and rejection, whether it be trivial or life changing, but a challenge lies within a deeper acceptance of humanity. People have the tendency to become wrapped up in immediate personal needs, schedules, loved ones, jobs, careers, education, hobbies, dreams, desires, material possessions, finances, the past, present, future, and overall living to one’s full potential. It is common that one could forget; while this seems like a day in the life of an average member of society, this is not a comparative lifestyle for everyone living on the planet. There is war, suffering, starvation, and oppression worldwide. It becomes a matter of subjective value and necessity, but we are all human. That never changes. With the acceptance of another person’s condition and place in the world comes the willingness to reach out when necessary. This course has taught me to start small; one person cannot save the world, but collectively, each person can play a small part in making a difference. Instead of despairing about the rest of the world, I was given the opportunity to proactively take part in helping other human beings in the town that I reside in. This leads to another important theme: understanding.
Empathy is one of the most effective ways to reach an understanding of another human being. It aids in problem-solving and making meaningful connections. Through my experience, I was allowed to reach an understanding of people in need. Though empathy was involved, familiarity also played a big part. Each day, various people came into The Salvation Army in need of assistance in different ways. Whether it was for food, clothing, or help paying rent, to be part of a resource that provides relief and peace of mind to others, and to witness it in action, brings about a sense of hope in ourselves. I believe this was the goal of the course.
My mind welcomed my own relief as Tina gave me a tour of the office, the pantry, and the church, and welcomed me into the food bank family with a hug. I started out with a few hours a week, and found myself eager to shed the feeling of being a stranger among my new, mutually accepted family. At The Salvation Army, we do as much as we can to help by offering the resources that are available in Eugene. I learned about services in town that I can pass on to people I see when I’m walking downtown. Instead of continuing on with a meek apology when a donation is requested, I can offer a bit of my time to provide information of where they can go to ease their hunger, or to seek shelter from freezing temperatures. I can direct others who might need a few days of food before their next paycheck, or who have just received an eviction notice. I will be continuing my volunteer position through the holidays, as The Salvation Army will be providing Christmas boxes for families and individuals alike. Over 200 applications for Christmas boxes have been submitted. I could never have imagined helping this many people on my own. It has shown me that working together through acceptance and understanding provides the best solutions. To play a small part in something bigger and beyond myself has been a special experience for me.
~Megan McNeary

Three months ago, if you asked me what it meant to be a Christian, I would have said: "To be a Christian means that I am called to serve God, love others as Christ did, to follow what the Bible says, and to build relationships with people." While all of that is true, I was missing something very important. After taking my senior capstone, Mobilizing Hope, I have a much clearer understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

To be a follower of Christ means that I love like Christ did, but I stand by the oppressed and the people in the margins, not just walk past them and quickly pray for them. It means taking a stand against all kinds of injustice. To be a follower of Christ means that I build relationships, I support, I help, and I encourage those around me - my neighbors. But who is my neighbor? The person that lives next door or down the street? Yes. And the homeless man on the corner, and the hungry runaway teen, the man in a jail cell for whatever crime he committed, children in Africa. Everyone is a neighbor. The Bible was very broad when it describes "neighbor", therefore as a Christian, I need to very broad in my love for others.

Three months ago, when I would encounter homeless people on the streets, I was fearful of them. I would put my head down and pray for them, but I would quickly move past them. I would never stop and engage. What I have learned and experienced in the course of this term is that homeless people are just that - people. They are living, breathing, human beings who - more often than not - have landed in this situation not because they wanted to, but because of life circumstances.

For the last 3 months I have been serving at a place called Hope’s Table in Tualatin. Hope’s Table is a ministry that serves a warm meal every Monday night for those in the community who are hungry. Volunteers prepare food, set up the space, then serve the meal and engage with the individuals who come. It's a safe place for people to come and eat a warm dinner. Every week Hope’s table offers something besides a free meal to their guests. Some weeks it's a free haircut, other times a librarian reads to the children. They offered free flu shots to those without insurance. There is a van that picks up homeless people in Tualatin and brings them to enjoy a meal.

The first night that I volunteered, I was nervous and uncertain about what to expect. But after walking through the door, I was at peace. I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be. The volunteers were wonderful and super friendly, and the guests were amazing. I got to know the people who I would volunteer with either every week or once a month, and looked forward to seeing them every time.

I also got to know the individuals who came for a meal every week. There were several who I connected with, and most everyone was a joy to talk to. There were several ladies who I had a strong connection with; I could relate to the emotional struggles they were experiencing. I looked forward to seeing the regulars who came through the doors, and I started to worry about the ones who didn’t show up for a few weeks. I found myself being blessed over and over and over again, just by walking through the doors to serve. The people were so grateful, so thankful, and so appreciative that Hope’s Table was there. This week there was a lady who was attending for the first time - she came up and gave me a big hug and thanked me over and over. I have been completely blessed every week. I am humbled by and grateful for this experience.

During my time at Hope’s Table I asked several guests a simple question, “What does Hope’s Table mean to you?” I got a variety of responses: (Disclaimer: due to respecting the privacy of the guests and legal issues, I cannot mention the names, or show the faces of any guests.)

© “Friendly people. A warm meal. Making memories. It reminds me of when I was little and would go somewhere with my grandpa and we would share in a meal like this.”
© “A place to get food.”
© “Encouragement. Fellowship. A meal with friends.”
© “Beautiful place. Friendly people. A place to come when I am all done working and very tired and cannot cook. Very grateful for this place.”
© “Food.”
© “Thankfulness.”
© “Fellowship. Nice people. Encouragement. A place to get help. Really, really good food. Hope….”

I also asked the volunteers the question, “Why do you serve at Hope’s Table.” These are the responses that I got:

© “It is as simple as Jesus said to feed the hungry. So I am.” ~Randy
© “I started out as one of the guests, one of the homeless people, and now I am not homeless anymore. I want to give back. I love seeing everyone smiling, it is encouraging.” ~Randy
© “We are called to serve.” ~Gail
© “I have always had a passion for the homeless since I was younger. When I heard they were going to do Hope’s table I wanted in and have been here since day one. I have a heart for the marginalized and making the people in the margins feel like they are humans, because that is what they are. I just have a huge heart for these people. They have taught me more lessons than I can count. I keep serving so that I can share my blessings from this ministry with others. I am truly blessed to be a part of this ministry.” ~Darrell
© “Our community group was looking for a place to serve, and we chose Hope’s Table. I love to cook and this is a way I can give back to other people. It helps me to count my blessings, and I feel blessed serving these people. And we are called to serve others.” ~Debbie
© “I like to help people and serve people. We are called to serve as Christians.” ~Allen

I I have learned so much about myself, about what it means to love Christ, and what it looks like to be a true follower of Him. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. I'm looking forward to continuing to serve at Hope’s Table, and finding other ways I can serve out my faith as a follower of Christ.